It takes a special kind of person to want to build a car themselves at home. Now Honda is taking the kit car-building spirit to a new level; launching the first ever production car you can build yourself. MORE

I find out this morning from Ross Cunniff (who also recently completed the 914 AC kit), that he has had ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS with his CCPower DC-DC converter. Since I finished the first kit, Electro Auto didn't want to replace my unit because they wanted me to find out more information before I simply blew up another one. The technical support person at Iota was extremely responsive and provided accurate information. Despite the above rants, the basic kit is good. MORE

Personalized light. It is conceivable that in the near future, consumables—such as windshield wiper blades—or other kinds of personal items could not only be ordered from the car, but also delivered to it using a “Drop Box” that is accessible from the outside. MORE

Source: KIT. At the upcoming IAA International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will present a modular battery concept for the efficient operation of an electric bus; an electric city bus demonstrator will illustrate the concept. Source: KIT. MORE

will be the first Volkswagen built off the Modular Electric Drive kit (MEB). MEB—Modularer Elektrifizierungsbaukasten (“Modular Electric Drive kit”)—was conceived to support the development of a family of pure electric vehicles within brands and across the Group. MORE

s software developer kit will support apps for consumers, service providers and automotive retailers, connecting drivers to their driving world in real-time. Fuel Economy Coach: based on actual vehicle data, road conditions, traffic, and personal driving habits, this app will not only show a driver’s fuel efficiency, but will tell hime or her how good or bad it is based on real world conditions. The MyCarma application uses the phone’s GPS to capture an owner’s personal drive cycle. MORE

The acquisition of Cruise is GM’s latest step toward its goal of redefining the future of personal mobility. Since the beginning of the year, GM has entered into a strategic alliance with ride-sharing company Lyft ( earlier post ); formed Maven, its personal mobility brand for car-sharing fleets in many US cities ( earlier post ), and established a separate unit for autonomous vehicle development ( earlier post ). MORE

These are local investors who are very well capitalized and are personally known to the staff of the utility and city officials. Previous Prius conversion kits have been limited by Toyota programming to a top speed of 34 mph in all-electric mode. MORE

Separately, Maryland-based engineering firm Robotic Research LLC is donating vehicle electronic kits and the nonprofit energy investment Stiefel Family Foundation is providing cash awards. Those printers then can be used by engineers or even lay persons to simply download and print replacement parts, or fabricate novel mission-specific parts on-demand. MORE

The new, further developed smart drive kit app allows the rider to use online services when making stops on the road. This is fitted with a microphone and headphones so that riders are able to use the telephone function or access their personal music collection while on the road. MORE

Personalized light. It is conceivable that in the near future, consumables—such as windshield wiper blades—or other kinds of personal items could not only be ordered from the car, but also delivered to it using a “Drop Box” that is accessible from the outside. MORE

The tank is removable and can be refilled using a CNG refilling system, either personal or at a commercial location. manufactures the Husky, Pitts Special and complete kits for the Eagle biplane. Aviat Husky CNG. Click to enlarge. Airplane manufacturer Aviat Aircraft, Inc. MORE

The afternoon Electrathon races feature single-person, lightweight, aerodynamic, high-efficiency electric vehicles. They may be built from a kit or from scratch. Automotive X Prize teams from New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Indiana will compete at the 7 th Annual Green Grand Prix Friday, April 15, at Watkins Glen International. Two of the vehicles are educational entries from Cornell University and West Philadelphia High School. MORE

This could eventually have a role comparable to that of the Volkswagen Group’s modular diesel and modular gasoline engine kits (MDB and MOB). (“Baukasten” = German for construction kit). The resulting two-motor system could become part of the MLB evo kit, said Prof. MORE

Many car owners have a strong desire to personalize their vehicles, and BMW buyers may be among the most enthusiastic when it comes to modifications. So while the BMW i3 electric car is more about efficiency than showing off, perhaps it''s not too surprising that there is now a body kit available for it. It had to happen eventually. MORE

These four main kits are now joined by the all-new Modularer Elektrifizierungsbaukasten (“Modular Electric Drive kit”, or MEB), being developed by the Volkswagen brand. and the underlying MEB emphasize several additional functionalities: autonomy, connectivity, and personalization. MORE

Here's the delivery person rolling the crate on a pallet jack to my garage. On minor disappointment is that the cable supplied in the kit is #2 gauge cable. I suppose the AC kit doesn't require as much current as the DC kit, but I'll take all the efficiency I can get at this point. MORE

China Electric (Battery) Forecasts Personal Transit In a new report , Navigant Research forecasts that global annual sales of e-bicycles will grow modestly from 31.7 million units in 2014 to 40.3 million units in 2023 under a base scenario—a CAGR of 2.7%. MORE

Ford Motor Company plans to open a Silicon Valley-based Research Lab—its first dedicated R&D office on the west coast—to scout for new technology and to find new partners to innovate personal mobility solutions for the future. The first OpenXC beta developer kits will be shipped this month to several participating universities including MIT, University of Michigan and Stanford. MORE

Buzz is built off the Modular Electric Drive kit (MEB). BUZZ is a next-generation vehicle based on the new Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB), offering comfort and plenty of space. As soon as a person approaches the vehicle, the sensor surfaces for opening the door light up. MORE

Ford launched a $50,000 challenge for software developers to write innovative apps to help consumers better understand and improve their personal fuel efficiency. Participants will have access to Ford’s OpenXC connectivity research platform as a sandbox to create and test their ideas for the Personalized Fuel Efficiency Apps Challenge. Many elements factor into personal fuel efficiency including weather, terrain, traffic conditions and individual driving styles. MORE

It seems that Mike is more of a mechanical person than an electronics person. Apparently I'm the only person with an operational AC kit currently, although several other people are hot on the trail to finishing theirs. Mike doesn't have an AC kit 914 back at the ranch. I just got off the phone with Mike at Electro Automotive. We chatted about the blown CCPower DC-DC converter and the engine vibrations. MORE

Via a new “Digital DriveStyle App”, developed in-house, together with the “Drive Kit Plus for the Apple iPhone”, drivers can now access all the key content of their iPhone through the in-vehicle display and enjoy safe and convenient operation of the device via the Controller on the center armrest. Its highlights include: Personalized internet radio by AUPEO! MORE

A few things that are in the works: getting the Civic S20 transmission to a precision measurement person to get an accurate diagram of all the holes and outline for repetitive fabrication of adapter plates ordering a clutch plate and sending it off to EV-America for a motor shaft adapter purchasing relevant EV kit parts (9" motor, etc.) MORE

After spending the past year and a half converting a Porsche 914 to an electric vehicle, I decided to expand my horizons by designing an open-source electric vehicle (EV) conversion kit for a commonly used car. What about the person who tinkers in their garage who drives like the typical person ( With that in mind, I sorted through the electric conversions over at EVAlbum and found several cars that you could purchase for under $2,000 on the local Craigslist classified listings. MORE

Our goal is to enable owners to enlist a local electrician/engineer to convert their cars, initially with lead-acid batteries, for under $6,000 and less than two person-weeks of time. (We The kit is designed so the batteries can be upgraded to lithium-phosphate.) MORE

communities or municipalities), the number of persons, and mobility behavior, the system is intended to determine whether and under which conditions electric mobility is reasonable. Eleven partners are participating in BiE: The FZI Research Center for Information Technology and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) with the Institute for Transport Studies (IfV) and the Institute of Product Engineering (IPEK) contribute latest scientific findings. MORE

The OpenXC kit includes a vehicle interface module based on the popular Arduino platform developers can use to read data from the vehicle’s internal communications network. In addition, vehicle data from the growing list of sensing technologies built into the car can be used locally to provide for the creation of a more personalized, convenient and productive driving experience, and aggregated to help address congestion and improve efficiency. MORE

The 25 experiments address four global megatrends—explosive population growth; an expanding middle class; air quality and public health concerns; and changing customer attitudes and priorities—challenging today’s transportation model and limiting personal mobility, especially in urban areas. Ford engineers are working with HP to track the driving habits of 100 vehicles used nationwide by HP employees for work and personal commuting. MORE

IBM and Libelium , a wireless sensor network hardware provider, released an Internet of Things (IoT) Starter Kit to enable dozens of sensor applications ranging from monitoring parking spaces or air pollution to providing assistance for the elderly. With the new Internet of Things Starter Kit, a real-time operating system is integrated in Libelium Waspmote nodes to support more than 60 different sensors available “off the shelf,” allowing developers to build any application on top. MORE

The required algorithms were developed by the Mercedes-Benz research team in collaboration with the Institute for Measuring and Control Technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Networked sensor systems of the S 500 INTELLIGENT DRIVE research vehicle. Click to enlarge. MORE

Here goes (in no particular order): Things That Went Well During the Conversion The 914 AC kit from Electro Automotive is a good one. I modified the wiring in the original 914 AC kit (as suggested by Paul Jorg) to turn on the regen when the brake lights came on instead of controlling regen by releasing the accelerator pedal. I even received a few posts from Mike Brown at Electro Automotive, the designer of the kit. If I had to do things over, I might seriously use the DC kit. MORE

Since this kit is the 914 AC kit, I have no idea how to install the controller plate. I've contacted Randy Pollock, the first person to order a 914 AC kit and he and I are working to figure this out. MORE

The Ford Developer Program for open mobile apps provides a software development kit (SDK), technical support from Ford engineers and a developer community to enable utilizing the SYNC connectivity system and AppLink application programming interface (API). Once these apps are created and have been approved by GM, future owners of certain GM models will be able to download them directly to the vehicle through the app catalog to to personalize and to update the apps in their vehicles. MORE

Ford is now shipping beta test kits of its open-source connectivity research platform, OpenXC ( earlier post ), to developers and universities around the world. OpenXC architecture. Click to enlarge. MORE

Many car owners have a strong desire to personalize their vehicles, and BMW buyers may be among the most enthusiastic when it comes to modifications. So while the BMW i3 electric car is more about efficiency than showing off, perhaps it''s not too surprising that there is now a body kit available for it. It had to happen eventually.

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Ford launched a $50,000 challenge for software developers to write innovative apps to help consumers better understand and improve their personal fuel efficiency. Participants will have access to Ford’s OpenXC connectivity research platform as a sandbox to create and test their ideas for the Personalized Fuel Efficiency Apps Challenge. Many elements factor into personal fuel efficiency including weather, terrain, traffic conditions and individual driving styles.

The 25 experiments address four global megatrends—explosive population growth; an expanding middle class; air quality and public health concerns; and changing customer attitudes and priorities—challenging today’s transportation model and limiting personal mobility, especially in urban areas. Ford engineers are working with HP to track the driving habits of 100 vehicles used nationwide by HP employees for work and personal commuting.

Source: KIT. At the upcoming IAA International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will present a modular battery concept for the efficient operation of an electric bus; an electric city bus demonstrator will illustrate the concept. Source: KIT.

After spending the past year and a half converting a Porsche 914 to an electric vehicle, I decided to expand my horizons by designing an open-source electric vehicle (EV) conversion kit for a commonly used car. What about the person who tinkers in their garage who drives like the typical person ( With that in mind, I sorted through the electric conversions over at EVAlbum and found several cars that you could purchase for under $2,000 on the local Craigslist classified listings.

The acquisition of Cruise is GM’s latest step toward its goal of redefining the future of personal mobility. Since the beginning of the year, GM has entered into a strategic alliance with ride-sharing company Lyft ( earlier post ); formed Maven, its personal mobility brand for car-sharing fleets in many US cities ( earlier post ), and established a separate unit for autonomous vehicle development ( earlier post ).

IBM and Libelium , a wireless sensor network hardware provider, released an Internet of Things (IoT) Starter Kit to enable dozens of sensor applications ranging from monitoring parking spaces or air pollution to providing assistance for the elderly. With the new Internet of Things Starter Kit, a real-time operating system is integrated in Libelium Waspmote nodes to support more than 60 different sensors available “off the shelf,” allowing developers to build any application on top.

China Electric (Battery) Forecasts Personal Transit In a new report , Navigant Research forecasts that global annual sales of e-bicycles will grow modestly from 31.7 million units in 2014 to 40.3 million units in 2023 under a base scenario—a CAGR of 2.7%.

These four main kits are now joined by the all-new Modularer Elektrifizierungsbaukasten (“Modular Electric Drive kit”, or MEB), being developed by the Volkswagen brand. and the underlying MEB emphasize several additional functionalities: autonomy, connectivity, and personalization.

Source: KIT. At the upcoming IAA International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will present a modular battery concept for the efficient operation of an electric bus; an electric city bus demonstrator will illustrate the concept. Source: KIT.

After spending the past year and a half converting a Porsche 914 to an electric vehicle, I decided to expand my horizons by designing an open-source electric vehicle (EV) conversion kit for a commonly used car. What about the person who tinkers in their garage who drives like the typical person ( With that in mind, I sorted through the electric conversions over at EVAlbum and found several cars that you could purchase for under $2,000 on the local Craigslist classified listings.

The acquisition of Cruise is GM’s latest step toward its goal of redefining the future of personal mobility. Since the beginning of the year, GM has entered into a strategic alliance with ride-sharing company Lyft ( earlier post ); formed Maven, its personal mobility brand for car-sharing fleets in many US cities ( earlier post ), and established a separate unit for autonomous vehicle development ( earlier post ).

will be the first Volkswagen built off the Modular Electric Drive kit (MEB). MEB—Modularer Elektrifizierungsbaukasten (“Modular Electric Drive kit”)—was conceived to support the development of a family of pure electric vehicles within brands and across the Group.

The new, further developed smart drive kit app allows the rider to use online services when making stops on the road. This is fitted with a microphone and headphones so that riders are able to use the telephone function or access their personal music collection while on the road.

Buzz is built off the Modular Electric Drive kit (MEB). BUZZ is a next-generation vehicle based on the new Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB), offering comfort and plenty of space. As soon as a person approaches the vehicle, the sensor surfaces for opening the door light up.

Ford Motor Company plans to open a Silicon Valley-based Research Lab—its first dedicated R&D office on the west coast—to scout for new technology and to find new partners to innovate personal mobility solutions for the future. The first OpenXC beta developer kits will be shipped this month to several participating universities including MIT, University of Michigan and Stanford.

The tank is removable and can be refilled using a CNG refilling system, either personal or at a commercial location. manufactures the Husky, Pitts Special and complete kits for the Eagle biplane. Aviat Husky CNG. Click to enlarge. Airplane manufacturer Aviat Aircraft, Inc.

The required algorithms were developed by the Mercedes-Benz research team in collaboration with the Institute for Measuring and Control Technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Networked sensor systems of the S 500 INTELLIGENT DRIVE research vehicle. Click to enlarge.

It takes a special kind of person to want to build a car themselves at home. Now Honda is taking the kit car-building spirit to a new level; launching the first ever production car you can build yourself.

Here's the delivery person rolling the crate on a pallet jack to my garage. On minor disappointment is that the cable supplied in the kit is #2 gauge cable. I suppose the AC kit doesn't require as much current as the DC kit, but I'll take all the efficiency I can get at this point.

Here goes (in no particular order): Things That Went Well During the Conversion The 914 AC kit from Electro Automotive is a good one. I modified the wiring in the original 914 AC kit (as suggested by Paul Jorg) to turn on the regen when the brake lights came on instead of controlling regen by releasing the accelerator pedal. I even received a few posts from Mike Brown at Electro Automotive, the designer of the kit. If I had to do things over, I might seriously use the DC kit.

Our goal is to enable owners to enlist a local electrician/engineer to convert their cars, initially with lead-acid batteries, for under $6,000 and less than two person-weeks of time. (We The kit is designed so the batteries can be upgraded to lithium-phosphate.)

Via a new “Digital DriveStyle App”, developed in-house, together with the “Drive Kit Plus for the Apple iPhone”, drivers can now access all the key content of their iPhone through the in-vehicle display and enjoy safe and convenient operation of the device via the Controller on the center armrest. Its highlights include: Personalized internet radio by AUPEO!

I find out this morning from Ross Cunniff (who also recently completed the 914 AC kit), that he has had ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS with his CCPower DC-DC converter. Since I finished the first kit, Electro Auto didn't want to replace my unit because they wanted me to find out more information before I simply blew up another one. The technical support person at Iota was extremely responsive and provided accurate information. Despite the above rants, the basic kit is good.

It seems that Mike is more of a mechanical person than an electronics person. Apparently I'm the only person with an operational AC kit currently, although several other people are hot on the trail to finishing theirs. Mike doesn't have an AC kit 914 back at the ranch. I just got off the phone with Mike at Electro Automotive. We chatted about the blown CCPower DC-DC converter and the engine vibrations.

A few things that are in the works: getting the Civic S20 transmission to a precision measurement person to get an accurate diagram of all the holes and outline for repetitive fabrication of adapter plates ordering a clutch plate and sending it off to EV-America for a motor shaft adapter purchasing relevant EV kit parts (9" motor, etc.)

The Ford Developer Program for open mobile apps provides a software development kit (SDK), technical support from Ford engineers and a developer community to enable utilizing the SYNC connectivity system and AppLink application programming interface (API). Once these apps are created and have been approved by GM, future owners of certain GM models will be able to download them directly to the vehicle through the app catalog to to personalize and to update the apps in their vehicles.

communities or municipalities), the number of persons, and mobility behavior, the system is intended to determine whether and under which conditions electric mobility is reasonable. Eleven partners are participating in BiE: The FZI Research Center for Information Technology and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) with the Institute for Transport Studies (IfV) and the Institute of Product Engineering (IPEK) contribute latest scientific findings.

s software developer kit will support apps for consumers, service providers and automotive retailers, connecting drivers to their driving world in real-time. Fuel Economy Coach: based on actual vehicle data, road conditions, traffic, and personal driving habits, this app will not only show a driver’s fuel efficiency, but will tell hime or her how good or bad it is based on real world conditions. The MyCarma application uses the phone’s GPS to capture an owner’s personal drive cycle.

Separately, Maryland-based engineering firm Robotic Research LLC is donating vehicle electronic kits and the nonprofit energy investment Stiefel Family Foundation is providing cash awards. Those printers then can be used by engineers or even lay persons to simply download and print replacement parts, or fabricate novel mission-specific parts on-demand.

The afternoon Electrathon races feature single-person, lightweight, aerodynamic, high-efficiency electric vehicles. They may be built from a kit or from scratch. Automotive X Prize teams from New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Indiana will compete at the 7 th Annual Green Grand Prix Friday, April 15, at Watkins Glen International. Two of the vehicles are educational entries from Cornell University and West Philadelphia High School.

These are local investors who are very well capitalized and are personally known to the staff of the utility and city officials. Previous Prius conversion kits have been limited by Toyota programming to a top speed of 34 mph in all-electric mode.

This could eventually have a role comparable to that of the Volkswagen Group’s modular diesel and modular gasoline engine kits (MDB and MOB). (“Baukasten” = German for construction kit). The resulting two-motor system could become part of the MLB evo kit, said Prof.

The OpenXC kit includes a vehicle interface module based on the popular Arduino platform developers can use to read data from the vehicle’s internal communications network. In addition, vehicle data from the growing list of sensing technologies built into the car can be used locally to provide for the creation of a more personalized, convenient and productive driving experience, and aggregated to help address congestion and improve efficiency.

Personalized light. It is conceivable that in the near future, consumables—such as windshield wiper blades—or other kinds of personal items could not only be ordered from the car, but also delivered to it using a “Drop Box” that is accessible from the outside.

Personalized light. It is conceivable that in the near future, consumables—such as windshield wiper blades—or other kinds of personal items could not only be ordered from the car, but also delivered to it using a “Drop Box” that is accessible from the outside.